8 simple tips to help you stop smoking

No one said quitting smoking was going to be easy. Here's some strategies for making it less hard.

• Nonsmokers — and oddly, many smokers themselves — often fail to understand how thoroughly addicting smoking can be.
• Ending a long-running smoking habit can't be done casually. It's hard to do — for some, brutally hard.
• Before stopping, smokers need to prepare themselves mentally and physically for a challenging road ahead.
• They need to have a strategy, a support team, and a Plan B if some of the methods fail to deliver.

Plan to start your life as a nonsmoker during a calm period. Not over the holidays or when you're under a lot of stress.

• If nicotine cravings have kept you from quitting in the past,  try nicotine fading. This longer-term, slower quitting technique could help.
• Use a nicotine patch or gum to help you become accustomed to life without cigarettes. At the same time, gradually step down your nicotine exposure.
• Keep using the patch or gum for as long as you need to, making sure to follow the package directions.

Two drugs — an antidepressant called buprion and a withdrawal-easing drug called varenicline — have been shown in studies to increase a quitter's chances for success.

Get plenty of sleep, exercise every day, drink plenty of water and stay busy. Healthy living delivers rewards that help replace whatever benefits smokers feel they get from the habit.

• Counselling, an online support group or a local nonsmoking group can all help.
• So can telephone hotlines. Call if you suddenly get the urge to light up again.
• Enlist your friends, family and coworkers, as appropriate, to get you through to the smoke-free life.

• Most successful quitters have lapsed many times.
• Use the lapse to discover your personal obstacles to quitting, and create a plan for dealing with your needs.
• If you use cigarettes to relax, try a walk, a stretch, a phone call, or a piece of fruit instead.
• If a cigarette was part of your after-meal routine, replace it with a cup of tea.

Studies show that smokers and former smokers who eat plenty of produce, in a variety of brilliant colours, have lower rates of lung cancer. The reason? Probably the protective antioxidants in fresh fruits and veggies.

The key to quitting is taking it, and your health, seriously. In addition to feeling better physically, quitting can help you reap confidence-boosting rewards, like fresher breath, younger-looking skin, and no more tobacco smell on your clothes.